\By: Ariella Haviv – Jewish Voice News

Israeli intelligence services, working in strategic tandem with multiple European security agencies, have quietly unraveled a series of Hamas terror cells embedded across the continent and allegedly preparing coordinated assaults on Jewish and Israeli targets. The revelations, conveyed through a formal statement issued by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office on behalf of the Mossad, depict a network of operatives scattered across Europe, waiting for what intelligence officials described as “the day of command.”

According to a report that appeared on Thursday at The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), investigators determined that these clandestine cells had established weapons reserves, operational safehouses, and communication channels designed to be activated once senior Hamas commanders abroad issued an order to strike. The announcement marks one of the most sweeping exposures of Hamas-linked activities in Europe since the terror organization began rebuilding its international reach following the events of October 7.

The most prominent discovery cited in the JNS report was an extensive weapons cache found in Vienna in September. Austrian security forces uncovered pistols, explosives, and various operational materials tied to a figure with direct familial connections to Hamas leadership: Muhammad Naim, son of senior Hamas politburo official Bassem Naim. The elder Naim is widely viewed by counterterrorism analysts as one of Hamas’s most influential political figures abroad and is known for his association with Khalil al-Hayya, a top-tier Hamas negotiator and one of the organization’s most prominent international operators.

According to details published in the JNS report, investigators also learned that Muhammad Naim and his father met in Qatar the same month the weapons cache was discovered. Israeli officials assessing the timing and context of the meeting concluded that it may signify an escalation in Hamas’s overseas footprint, raising concerns that senior leadership figures could have directly encouraged or sanctioned operational preparations on European soil.

“The timing of this meeting suggests possible involvement of Hamas leadership in promoting terrorism in Europe, giving activists the authority and approval to advance terrorist operations,” the Mossad said in the statement provided to JNS. Intelligence officials added that Hamas’s sweeping public denials of any connection to these plots may indicate that the organization has lost control over certain operatives or is attempting to obscure its broader strategy through plausible deniability.

The Mossad statement further noted that operational threads emerging from the Austrian investigation led counterterrorism analysts to examine Hamas-linked activities in Turkey. The report emphasized that Turkey has historically served as a permissive environment for Hamas operatives, offering what the Mossad described as a “convenient arena for Hamas activity,” including movement of personnel, communication with leadership, and logistical planning. According to the information provided in the JNS report, several terror plots connected to Hamas-linked figures in Turkey have now been exposed, prompting renewed scrutiny of the organization’s networks operating beyond the Middle East.

One of the most significant developments unfolded in Germany, where authorities arrested Barhan al-Khatib, identified by intelligence sources as a prominent Hamas network operative. JNS reported that al-Khatib was detained in November shortly after returning from Turkey, “apparently following the completion of his operational activities on European soil.” German intelligence services have since intensified efforts to track the remaining members of al-Khatib’s network, examining connections between Hamas operatives, religious institutions, and charitable associations suspected of facilitating recruitment and fundraising.

The Mossad’s latest disclosures form part of a broader trend observed across Europe: a surge in Hamas efforts to expand its terrorist infrastructure, build logistical capabilities, and cultivate support networks embedded in local communities. Israeli intelligence officials told JNS that the organization has been pursuing this strategy aggressively since the October 7 attacks, mirroring techniques historically used by Iranian proxy groups, particularly in terms of decentralized recruitment and operational autonomy.

These efforts include attempts to establish small, concealed cells capable of carrying out both isolated attacks and coordinated operations. Mossad analysts believe that Hamas has grown increasingly reliant on diaspora networks and sympathizers who can move freely across European borders while avoiding the intense scrutiny applied to operatives traveling directly from the Middle East.

European security officials confirmed that they are currently investigating a range of Hamas-linked activities, including financial pipelines used to channel funds through religious centers and cultural associations. German and Austrian authorities, in particular, have increased oversight of select institutions identified as potential conduits for terrorist financing, recruitment, and dissemination of extremist messaging. JNS reported that officials are working to determine whether these organizations function as fronts for Hamas’s political wing, its military apparatus, or a hybrid system facilitating coordination between the two.

Israeli intelligence assessments warn that Hamas is not limiting its ambitions to operational readiness alone. Instead, the organization appears to be adapting its approach to leverage Europe’s diverse political landscape, hoping to exploit legal protections, civil liberties, and institutional vulnerabilities inherent in democratic societies. Intelligence officials assert that Hamas views Europe as a strategic theater for long-term influence operations as well as immediate tactical opportunities.

The Mossad emphasized that it is currently working to thwart “dozens of planned attacks worldwide,” many of which have not yet been publicly disclosed due to ongoing intelligence operations. This global effort involves extensive cooperation with Western intelligence agencies, including multiple European counterparts who have shared concerns about the organization’s attempt to rebuild its international operational infrastructure.

Israeli officials repeatedly stressed in their communication with JNS that Hamas’s expanding activities abroad reflect the group’s determination to compensate for the substantial blows it has suffered in Gaza. By directing efforts toward Europe, Hamas appears intent on demonstrating resilience, projecting operational reach, and exploiting geopolitical environments that offer access to resources, mobility, and sympathetic networks.

Security officials warned that the threat extends well beyond Jewish and Israeli institutions. They emphasized that terror cells embedded in Europe pose a danger to the broader civilian population, given the possibility that Hamas operatives may target diplomatic facilities, transportation hubs, or public venues if instructed to escalate operations.

As investigations continue across Austria, Germany, Turkey, and other nations, Israeli intelligence services have pledged to maintain their collaboration with European counterparts to identify, monitor, and dismantle the remaining cells. The Mossad added that while recent successes have disrupted several plots, Hamas’s intensified activity means the threat remains active and far from neutralized.

For now, the exposure of these networks has provided European governments with a clearer understanding of Hamas’s strategic intentions. In parallel, the JNS report has drawn public attention to the organization’s expanded ambitions on the continent, underscoring the need for vigilance as intelligence agencies race to stay ahead of what Israeli officials describe as a rapidly evolving and increasingly global threat.